Forest Fires
by animebookworm211
Summary: Sometimes we all have to put up with the forest fires, if we can learn to wait for the spring...Seven years after defeating Naraku, Sesshomaru and Rin visit the others. Rin is in love with Kohaku, but does he return her feelings? Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1: Arrival

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.**

**This is my first multi-shot. Enjoy! (And I borrowed Kagome's secret of youth from a friend; many thanks to her!)**

** Chapter One: Arrival**

"Rin." The look in Kohaku's eyes took her breath away as he moved near her.

"What is it?" the young teenager asked innocently. Warm happiness filled her—not excitement, or anticipation: just happiness.

Kohaku grabbed her hands and pulled her close to him. Rin freed her arms and wrapped them around his neck. He didn't need to tell her. Both of them knew.

"I love you too," she said sweetly.

Kohaku bent and kissed her lips gently. She returned the kiss, sure that it would last forever…

_Thunk._

Something cold and flabby landed hard on Rin's ankle. She kicked instinctively and heard a yelp. The vision of Kohaku wavered.

_No! _she cried inwardly, but it was no use…the image vanished. Her cheek was pressed against something spiky, and she was sitting on something hard and moving. Her ears were filled with male voices, and a wind was moving her hair. It took her a moment to remember where she was—riding Ahun with Lord Sesshomaru and Jaken.

She was awake, and the dream was gone.

Rin didn't want to open her eyes just yet. She listened to the conversation going on around her, as she tried to gather the strength to become fully awake.

"Jaken." It was Lord Sesshomaru. "Get up."

"B-but milord!" squawked the toad demon. "The wench kicked me!"

"You deserved it. You fell on her."

"It was an accident!" Jaken wailed. "I tripped!"

It took someone like Jaken to trip while they were riding a dragon several hundred feet in the air.

"Be silent or face my wrath," hissed Sesshomaru. "If you have awakened Rin, I swear I will kill you."

Rin decided it was time she got up. "It's all right, my lord," she told Sesshomaru, pushing herself into a sitting position. "I was about to wake up anyway." That was a lie, but Jaken had been "killed" often enough. Stupid or not, he deserved a break sometimes.

Sesshomaru obviously didn't agree.

"You awoke her," he told Jaken. "I keep my promises."

With one swift movement, he pushed Jaken off the dragon.

Rin leaned over and watched him fall, his wail streaming behind him like a trail of smoke—until he crash-landed in a tree.

"Pity," said Sesshomaru, who was watching too. "Now he'll survive. Ah, well…at least I'll have something to hit when I get frustrated with my half-wit half-breed half-brother..."

Rin smiled, as she knew he wanted her to. Other people could accuse Sesshomaru of being cold and unfeeling, but they were wrong. Simply because he didn't like to show his feelings didn't mean he had none at all. She enjoyed these times when she was alone with him, when he would relax and even make subtle jokes.

"But we only visit him and his family once a year," she put in brightly. "It's fun to see Kagome, and Sango, and Shippo, and Kohaku…"

_Kohaku. _The name made her heart rate jump. Rin vented her excitement by scanning the ground eagerly for Inuyasha's mansion. They were currently flying over Inuyasha's Forest, which looked distinctly browner this year due to the lack of rain. Within seconds, Rin was rewarded by the sight of a red roof on the edge of the wood.

"There it is!" she cried, her heart jumping. "I see it!"

Sesshomaru looked over her shoulder. "Indeed. Land there, Ahun."

The dragon landed gracefully on the lawn in front of the huge house. Before Rin could even dismount, a small swarm of children surrounded Ahun.

"It's Rin!" yelled Kaoru, the image of Miroku, at the top of his seven-year-old lungs. "It's Rin and Lord 'Shomaru!"

"Hey, Kaoru," said Rin, grinning, as she dismounted.

"Rin!" Kaoru's sister Mayura attached herself to Rin's hand. "Can I ride the dragon?"

"I wanna ride the dragon!" wailed Ayumi, brushing long, white hair—the only outward sign that she was ¼ demon—out of her eyes.

"Excuse me."

All the children froze at Sesshomaru's cold voice.

"Where are Rin and I to stay?" he asked.

Kumiko, Ayumi's sister and the oldest girl present, spoke up importantly. "Follow me, an' I'll ask Mama," she offered.

The entire crowd of children escorted Rin and Sesshomaru to the house. Kumiko ran through the door ahead of them, shouting at the top of her lungs.

"Mama, Rin 'n Uncle Shom'ru are here, they wanna know where they're s'posed to go. MAMA! Where are you? They're here…"

Kagome emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her kimono. "I heard you the first time, Kumi. Rin, how nice to see you! And you, too, Lord Sesshomaru."

Rin smiled at her. She could still remember when she'd first seen Kagome: a fifteen-year-old with strange futuristic clothes and a hot temper. Kagome wore normal clothing now that she lived here permanently, and she was a little more cool-headed. Due to a strange side effect of time-travel, however, she hadn't changed much physically over the past six years. She now aged very slowly—at the same rate, in fact, as Inuyasha.

Sango followed Kagome from the kitchen, holding a baby in one hand and a dishrag in the other. Despite looking after a family that included seven small children, a husband and a grown brother, Sango rarely looked hassled. Rin supposed it had something to do with her demon extermination training. It must have also helped that she lived with Kagome, so they could split some of the work.

"Are you looking for your rooms, Lord Sesshomaru?" she asked the demon lord. "They're in the back, straight down the hallway and to the left."

Sesshomaru barely inclined his head, the closest he ever got to thanking anyone. "Very well." He turned to Rin. "I shall put your pack away, also."

"Thank you, my lord," she said gratefully. Sesshomaru nodded, and went outside.

"Does this mean you're gonna play with us?" asked Kyo, Sango and Miroku's two-year-old, hopefully.

"Maybe later," she told him. She looked at Sango. "Do you know where Kohaku is? I just want to say hi."

"He should be in his workshop, out back," said Sango.

Rin thanked her and headed outside. She didn't notice Sango watching her thoughtfully as she left.


	2. Chapter 2: Kohaku

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.**

** Chapter Two: Kohaku**

Kohaku put down the hammer to rest for a minute. The ogre skull on his anvil was determinedly resisting his efforts to shape it. He was sure it would make a really good helmet, resistant to demon attacks, but right now he couldn't even crack it.

Kohaku looked around his workshop. The walls were lined with all sorts of weapons. Like most people from the demon exterminators' village, he loved weapons—but not to use. Even before he had been forced to murder his family, he had not enjoyed killing. Recently he had turned his skills to creating these weapons. It was satisfying work, and fended off awkward questions about why a man of his skill wasn't fighting.

"Hey, Kohaku!"

He turned, startled at the light voice. Rin walked in the workshop, the late afternoon sunlight silhouetting her in the doorway.

"Oh, hi, Rin," he said, smiling at her. He and Rin had been good friends since just before Naraku was defeated. They hadn't seen each other for a year—not since the last reunion.

Rin looked around, her face shining. "_Wow_…you've done a lot since I was here last." She picked up what looked like a smaller version of Sango's Hiraikotsu. "How did you make this?"

"Oh, that one wasn't hard," said Kohaku. "I think I'll give it to my niece Kazuko when she gets old enough to use it."

Rin fingered its edge in awe. "It's so beautiful…" She realized that, however true, that probably wasn't the compliment he was looking for. "It looks really lethal, too," she added, meaning it.

Kohaku grinned. "That's what I was aiming for—pretty, yet dangerous. Now, this helmet I'm working on is going to be really hard…I might be so tired after making it battle-worthy that I won't be able to make it look nice."

As Kohaku explained about the ogre skull, Rin walked around the workshop. She prided herself on continuing a sensible conversation when her heart was pounding. She was so close to him…and they were all alone…

Shoving those thoughts out of her mind, Rin noticed a small table in a corner of the room. Unlike everywhere else in the workshop, it was not covered with weapons. Instead, it was piled high with scrolls. Looking closer, Rin saw they were Kohaku's plans for new weapons. She noticed something behind a stack of paper, and picked it up.

It was a small, pure white flower—even the stem was white. Rin, who had always loved flowers, was fascinated. "Kohaku," she called, "where did you get this?"

Kohaku saw what he was holding, and blinked. "Nowhere," he said sharply. "It's nothing special. Please put it down."

Rin felt shocked, and a little hurt. Kohaku was never this curt. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to mind your business."

Kohaku suddenly looked ashamed of himself, and shook his head. "It's not your fault," he muttered. "It's just…not important."

A small face surrounded by floppy red hair popped around the corner, cutting the awkward moment short.

"Shippo!" Rin cried joyfully.

"_There_ you are," said Shippo, hopping into the workshop. Aside from growing a bit more mature, the kitsune hadn't changed a lot over the past six years. Due to the slower aging rate of demons, he still seemed about seven, whereas Rin, who had once seemed the same age, was now nearly fifteen. Shippo and Rin had become very close friends. As for Kohaku, living in the same house had made the boys like brothers.

"Kagome said you'd arrived," he told Rin. "But I couldn't find you anywhere…I should have known you'd be here."

_What's that supposed to mean? _Rin wondered. _Does he know how I feel about Kohaku? Am I that obvious?_

"We were talking," said Kohaku. "I'm still supposed to be working on this helmet."

Shippo sighed. "I get it, I get it. C'mon, Rin, let's give Kohaku time to finish beating up his ogre skull."

"Bye, Kohaku," Rin called cheerfully as she followed Shippo out.

"Bye," said Kohaku a little absently as he turned back to his anvil.

Rin sighed inwardly.

"So," said Shippo once they were a few yards away from the workshop. "How was your trip?"

Rin shrugged. "About average, I guess. I was asleep for most of it. Sesshomaru threw Jaken overboard a little while before we arrived, but, other than that, nothing big happened."

"Your idea of 'average' seems similar to mine," said Shippo, in one of those wry moments that reminded her how old he really was. "A normal day tends to involve Inuyasha getting 'sat' about five times, Miroku getting threatened with a boomerang, a lot of kids practicing their weapons or demonic powers on each other, and Kohaku sitting in his workshop oblivious to everything. Not to mention Inuyasha punching me in the head."

Rin rolled her eyes. "That's because you annoy him so much."

"What else am I supposed to do?" Shippo demanded. "In case you didn't notice from my summary, a normal day involves a lot to watch, but not a lot to do. Except listening to Kohaku talk about weapons-making—which I normally do while the swelling in my head goes down—but that gets really boring after a while."

Rin giggled, then sighed. "Does he care about _anything _besides weapons?" she asked a little wistfully.

"Well, if you want to get literal, he cares about us," said Shippo easily, lying down on the grass. "You know, his friends and family. Sango, me, you, Kanna…" he looked at Rin. "You remember Kanna?"

"Of course," said Rin, sitting next to him. "She helped us kill Naraku. She's kind of weird, what with showing no emotion whatsoever, but we were kind of friends." She grinned, thinking suddenly of Sesshomaru. "Maybe I'm used to emotionless people…But Kanna hasn't been around here for a while, I don't think… We were kind of friends. She was a friend of Kohaku's, too, wasn't she?"

Shippo snorted. "You could say that, I guess. But something tells me they were a lot more. Like the time they kissed…"

Rin's heart sank like a wounded bird.

"He kissed her?" she said faintly.

"Whoops," said Shippo. "He said that was a secret."

The bottom seemed to have dropped out of Rin's stomach, and out of her world. Kohaku was in love with Kanna. He did not love Rin, and probably never would. The small hope she had dared to cling to—the hope that he would someday consider her more than a friend, more than a "younger sister"—had been extinguished.

_Maybe I'm overreacting, _she thought hopefully. Kohaku _had _loved Kanna, but that was several years ago. There was a possibility, however small, that he had forgotten Kanna. Maybe she still had a chance…

Shippo was looking at her thoughtfully.

"Rin," he said suddenly. "What do you think of Kohaku?"

Rin gasped, caught off guard. "Uh…I…" She searched frantically for words, cursing herself for stammering like this. It was a dead giveaway, even for someone who wasn't as observant as Shippo.

"That's what I thought," said Shippo wisely. "You're in love with him, aren't you?"

"_Keep your voice down!" _she hissed, grabbing him by the arm. "Do you _want _Kohaku to hear you?"

"Well, aren't you?" said Shippo smugly, but quietly this time.

"Yes, yes, you're right, very sly of you," said Rin. "And in case you haven't noticed, you have just crushed my hope for being requited, so I'll appreciate it if you don't gloat."

Her voice croaked, startling her: she hadn't realized she was so close to tears.

Shippo looked horrified with himself. "Gosh, Rin, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…I wasn't thinking…"

Rin absently reassured him as she replayed her talk with Kohaku. She thought back to the flower on the corner table. "It was Kanna's," she whispered. She turned and ran towards Kohaku's workshop.

Shippo jumped onto her shoulder. "Rin, what are you doing?"

"Please get off," she said calmly. "I'm just going to talk to Kohaku."

"If you're going to do anything stupid—"

"Get _off!" _she shouted, and pushed him. She tore off towards the workshop, with Shippo hard on her heels.

She wasn't going to do anything stupid. She just wanted to ask Kohaku a few questions.


	3. Chapter 3: A Few Questions

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.**

**Chapter Three: A Few Questions**

Kohaku glared at his anvil. "Of course," he said bitterly. "Nothing can carve an ogre skull. Except a dragonbone knife, which cleaves it in two and leaves it useless. Typical."

He sighed deeply, trying to calm himself. Maybe it was time he took a break from working. After all, they had visitors. He put down the hammer and headed outside, to talk to Shippo and Rin.

Suddenly, Rin tore around the corner of the building. Determination was all over her face, in her eyes and the firm set of her chin. She just barely managed to skid to a halt in time to avoid colliding with him. "Kohaku," she gasped out.

"Uh," said Kohaku inarticulately.

Shippo came around the building at top speed. "Rin!" he cried desperately. Rin totally ignored him.

"Kohaku," Rin said, looking him in the eye. "That flower, on your table. It was from Kanna, wasn't it?"

Kohaku froze, staring at Rin.

"Yes," he whispered. "But…but how…"

The fierceness left Rin's face, leaving her looking hurt and sad. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked. "Did you think I'd be"—she stopped herself from saying "jealous"—"upset?"

Kohaku sighed, and ran his hand through his hair. "I guess I did. You wouldn't be the first. Everyone seems to think that it's wrong for me to be so…close…to a demon. Even Sango thinks so." He scowled. "Especially since everyone seems to think Kanna's still on Naraku's side."

"What?" exclaimed Rin. "But Kanna helped us _defeat _Naraku!"

"Don't ask me to explain anti-demon reasoning," Kohaku retorted. "Even on the day we killed Naraku, people were trying to do the same to Kanna. She just barely managed to escape."

Rin was horrified. "_Sango _tried to do that?"

Kohaku shook his head. "Not Sango. She doesn't want Kanna to die—she just doesn't want Kanna to be with me. I suppose it's the demon exterminator training. We were both taught that demons are vicious, deserving only death…but Kanna isn't like that! Just because she's Naraku's daughter doesn't mean she's evil, and just because she doesn't show her feelings doesn't mean she has none! But Sango is too stubborn to understand that."

Rin's breath caught in her throat. These thoughts were so similar to hers on Sesshomaru earlier that day. "I know _exactly _how you feel," she blurted.

Kohaku looked at her, a little doubtfully. "Do you?"

Rin nodded. "No one understands Lord Sesshomaru, either. Everyone says that he's cold and heartless and uncaring, but he's not. He's just…very, very reserved. He's seen so much violence and betrayal, even when he was young, that he finds it hard to trust anyone. He trusts me, and a lot of humans hate and fear me for it. They insult me for being friends with a demon. I'd rather be with Lord Sesshomaru than with any of _their _stupid, jealous, prejudiced friends!" Her hands curled into fists. "The way they act as though they're better than he is, just because they're human…it makes me ashamed to be their _species! _Lord Sesshomaru has more integrity, more loyalty, and more strength than any of them will ever have. But all of them are too blind to even try to see past his pointed ears…"

Rin became aware that Kohaku was staring at her. She blushed, realizing how absurd she must sound. Even she hadn't realized how passionately she was opposed to that kind of prejudice. "Is…is that how you feel about Kanna?" she asked a little lamely, trying to get back on subject.

Kohaku grinned at her. "Yeah," he said softly. "It pretty much is."

Rin's heart did flip-flops at his smile, as she returned it with one of her own. _It's strange that a conversation about Kanna brought us closer together…_

"The way you two are talking," said Shippo loudly, "no one would guess that your best friend, a _demon,_ was standing right behind you."

Kohaku grinned. "We were taking advantage of your silence, Shippo."

"It happens infrequently enough, we thought we'd seize the opportunity," Rin added.

Shippo shoved her playfully. Rin stumbled and lost her footing. She screamed, and without thinking, grabbed Kohaku by the shoulders as she fell. Both of them tumbled downward.

Rin let go of Kohaku and flung her arms to the ground in the nick of time, propping herself up before she hit the ground. Kohaku, however, slammed into the dirt, facing directly up into Rin's eyes.

They stayed that way for a second. It seemed to Rin that they were suspended in time. She was so close to him. Close enough to stare directly into his deep brown eyes, to count every freckle on his nose, to bend down and kiss him…

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" screeched a familiar voice, and the moment ended abruptly.


	4. Chapter 4: The Ghost

**Disclaimer: Ditto.**

**Chapter Four: The Ghost**

"JAKEN!" Rin shouted.

She scrambled to her feet and glared at the toad. He had burst through the bushes dramatically, then stopped in shock as he noticed Rin and Kohaku.

"Y-you…Rin!" he squawked. "What were you doing with that boy? When Lord Sesshomaru finds out about this—"

"We weren't doing anything!" Rin yelled crossly.

"She fell, that's all." Kohaku's voice was perfectly casual. Of course, it would be— he had nothing to hide. He obviously hadn't been thinking dirty thoughts, the way Jaken and Rin had…

"It really was innocent," said Shippo helpfully.

Jaken sniffed. "I have not come to argue the romantic life of that human chit. I have come to announce a terrible danger present in that forest!"

Rin sighed. "We're trying to have a conversation. Can't you go…flirt with Kaede, or something?"

Shippo's eyes bulged. "_Kaede?_"

"I said," Jaken screeched, "there is a terrible danger present in that forest!"

"What is it?" Kohaku asked.

"Well," Jaken began importantly, "I had fallen from the dragon and I landed in a tree. When I climbed out, I was confronted by a horrible beast! A ghost! She was deathly pale and had empty sockets for eyes and was five times my height—"

"Who isn't five times your height?" demanded Shippo. "I mean, besides me?"

"—and she chased me all the way here!" Jaken continued, completely ignoring him. "She was calling out in a strange otherworldly voice and was trying to catch me and eat me alive! We must grab our sharpest swords and assemble our greatest powers and destroy her. Otherwise, we are all"—he took a deep breath and shouted dramatically—"DOOMED!"

Rin began to feel alarmed in spite of herself. "Well, maybe we'd better go kill this ghost lady, whatever she is," she said grudgingly. "C'mon, Kohaku."

"Shouldn't we get weapons, or something?" Kohaku asked. "Or, you know, ask Miroku to exorcise it?"

Rin shrugged. "We'll probably be able to chase it away."

"But Jaken said we'd need powerful weapons—"

"Kohaku," said Rin patiently. "Have you ever heard the saying, 'Do what the toad advises against'?"

Kohaku frowned. "I don't think so."

"Me, neither," Shippo piped up.

"Oh," said Rin. "Well, maybe Lord Sesshomaru made that up. The point is that just because Jaken says we should do something doesn't mean he's right. This"—she unsheathed her knife, which Kohaku had made and Miroku had blessed with talismans of exorcism—"should be enough to get rid of it. Especially since you've got one, too."

"If you say so," said Kohaku a little dubiously, fingering his own knife.

Rin resheathed her weapon, then grabbed Jaken as if he were a toy and held him out in front of her at arms length. "OK, Lord Jaken. Where is this ghost?"

Jaken twisted his head around to glare at her. "I am not a compass, Rin!"

"Just lead us to the thing!" Rin snapped, shaking him.

With Jaken reluctantly giving directions, Rin, Shippo and Kohaku went into the forest. All were as quiet as possible, alert for the ghost woman. A coat of dead leaves and twigs lay on the ground, due to the dry weather, and made every step a loud crackle. Rin was uncomfortably aware of how easily the ghost would be able to hear them coming.

Finally, ten minutes and several dead ends later, Jaken told them to stop.

"This is where I managed to shake it off," he announced. "It is probably lying in wait for its prey here."

"I don't feel a demonic aura," Shippo commented.

Rin sniffed the air—she had a habit of doing so as she sensed for auras, picked up from Lord Sesshomaru. She didn't feel anything, either.

"Of course she doesn't have one," Jaken snapped. "Ghosts don't have auras. If it'd had an aura, I'd have known it was a demon."

Kohaku got a strange look on his face. "A girl," he murmured, half to himself, "who looks like a demon, but has no aura…"

There was a distant rustling in the bushes. Shippo jumped onto Rin's shoulder in fear.

"Who's there?" Rin called out instantly, drawing her knife.

Kohaku, on the other hand, dashed towards the sound, not even bothering to unsheathe his weapon. A look of intense determination was on his face. "Kohaku!" Rin cried, and followed him through the thick brush. She ignored the twigs in her hair and the thorns in her kimono. If Kohaku was attacked…

Suddenly, Kohaku stopped. Rin caught up to him, then skidded to a halt, too.

A girl who seemed about Rin's age was pressed against a tree as if shrinking back from them. Her long, white hair was tangled around twigs and leaves. Behind the dirt, sweat and bruises, her face was unnaturally pale. She wore a faded blue kimono, now filthy and torn. Her right sleeve was ripped, revealing a cruel scar along her arm. She might have seemed almost human—except that her eyes were nothing more than black holes, devoid of expression or color.

"THE GHOST!" shrieked Jaken, and fainted.

"Wait a minute…" said Shippo slowly, climbing off Rin's shoulder.

Kohaku's eyes were as big as the girl's. "_Kanna?_"

The fear left her face. "Kohaku?" she whispered.

Then Rin recognized her.

Maybe it was because she was born looking about ten years old, or maybe it had something to do with being born of Naraku in a very unusual way, but Kanna aged differently than most demons. Inuyasha, Shippo and Sesshomaru hadn't changed much over the past six years, but Kanna had changed radically. She had grown from a child to a teenage young woman, with long white hair and an attractive figure. After Naraku's death, she had lived alone in the mountains, not far from a village. She and Rin had been fairly close friends. Rin wondered, with a sudden flash of anger, how long that would last, now that they both loved the same boy.

Kohaku grabbed her hands. "Kanna…" His first reaction was joy, but her torn clothes and multiple injuries were sinking in. "What happened?"

"It was demon slayers," she whispered, her voice—as usual—devoid of emotion. "They came to the village near my home. They had been cheated by their last employer, and were desperately seeking work. They exterminated all the minor demons near the town. I was afraid to leave my hut except for food, for fear they would kill me."

"But you don't have an aura," Kohaku protested. "They wouldn't know—"

"Nor would they care," Kanna reminded him. "The villagers had not been trained to sense auras—they would not know the difference, and the slayers would not tell them. As I say, they were desperate. Eventually, they stumbled upon my home."

"They did this to you?" Kohaku demanded. His brown, normally peaceful eyes blazed with fury, and his grip on her hands tightened.

"Yes. But I managed to escape before they killed or...violated me. I ran all the way here. Luckily I do not need much food or sleep. I found Jaken and attempted to ask him where you were, but he fled. I hoped that you could help me, Kohaku…" Her anxiety bled through her ever-present mask of impassiveness.

Kohaku drew her to him and wrapped his arms around her. Her head fell on his shoulder. "I _will _help you," he promised softly. "Everything's going to be okay, Kanna. I'll find some way to help."

Rin couldn't watch any more. She glared at Jaken, who was slowly reviving in her hand.

"Jaken," she whispered, pointing his head in the direction of Kanna and Kohaku. "Is _that _the ghost girl you were complaining about?"

Jaken nodded. "Of course it is. Why do you—WHAAAH!"

Rin had released her grip around his midsection, letting him fall to the ground with a _splat. _She bent down so that she was level with his prone form as he came to for the third time that day.

"You were wrong," she hissed. "That was _Kanna, _you idiot. _Kanna. _And your stupid little mistake has ruined everything!"

She turned on her heel and stomped off into the woods, fiercely blinking back tears.

**In case you couldn't tell, I really enjoy beating up Jaken.**

**As always, please R&R!**


	5. Chapter 5: Broken Heart

**Disclaimer: Ditto**

**Chapter Five: Broken Heart**

It didn't take long for Rin's anger to die down. While in some ways this was a good thing, the anger had been distracting her from her other feelings. Now she was all too aware of the ache in the pit of her stomach, one that had been forming since she'd seen Kanna by the tree. She had been mad at Jaken, mad at Kohaku, mad at Kanna and mad at herself…but right now, she just wished she had never come to this stupid place at all.

"Rin!"

Sango approached her as she stepped out of the forest, looking relieved.

"I wasn't sure where you were," she explained. "Kaoru said he'd seen you, Kohaku and Shippo go into the woods. What were you all doing?"

"Jaken led us on a wild goose chase," Rin said casually. "Said he saw something threatening, but it was a false alarm."

"I can't say that's surprising," Sango replied wryly. "Where are Kohaku and Shippo?"

Rin hesitated, but decided to put off talking about Kanna just a little longer. "They should be coming soon," she assured Sango. "They weren't—oof!"

A group of small children dashed out of the house. One girl ran forward and rammed into Rin like a cannonball. Rin looked down into the face of three-year-old Aya, Kagome and Inuyasha's daughter. "Where were you?" the girl demanded. "We was all worried outta our dizzy little heads!"

"I'm very sorry," said Rin solemnly. "I certainly didn't mean to worry you out of your dizzy little head."

"Did you find a monster?" Kumiko asked excitedly.

"She was just exploring," Kaoru told her, scornful of her ignorance. "Monsters don't live here, your dad scares them off."

"Did you find buried treasure?" inquired Kaoru's younger sister Mei.

"Don't bother Rin, kids," Sango scolded her children.

"I don't mind," said Rin, eager for a distraction from the day's events. "Do you want me to baby-sit them, Sango? I know you must be busy."

"Would you?" ask Sango hopefully. "Kagome and I are a little overworked right now, with so many people, and it's only going to get worse when Koga and Ayame finally get here."

"I'd be happy to help," said Rin, picking up Kyo. "I love little kids."

"I'm not little," said Daichi, twitching his dog-ears indignantly.

"Of course you're not," said Sango. "Now listen, children. Don't give Rin any problems, don't go in the forest, and do _not _ask Daddy's Question to Rin or to each other, do you hear me?"

When she was confident that they would behave, she went back into the kitchen.

Surprisingly, the children behaved reasonably well. Rin was good with young children, and the babysitting provided a welcome escape from thinking about Kanna. She did see Kohaku, Kanna and Shippo leave the woods, but she managed to shepherd the children away from the forest before she had to talk to her friends.

The babysitting went well enough that she did it again for the next few days. She purposely avoided Kohaku—and Kanna, who had finally been revealed to the others, and had been given a room in the mansion. Kagome did manage to convince her to baby-sit Shippo along with the young humans and quarter-demons. Shippo, in a rare bout of tact, did not talk about Kohaku or Kanna, for which Rin was grateful.

Three nights after she had arrived at Inuyasha and Kagome's house, Rin collapsed on her bed, utterly exhausted. The children had been irritable for the first time since she'd started babysitting, and the usual minor squabbles had escalated to mini battles. She'd had to grab a dagger from Mei and pull one of Daichi's baby teeth out of Ayumi's arm, and had held Kazuko's hand for the better part of the day just to keep an eye on her. And Kohaku had been much harder to evade than usual…

She sighed as she pulled off her day clothes. She knew she was being stupid by not wanting to talk to him or Kanna, but she couldn't help it. She was afraid that she would yell at them, or burst into tears, neither of which would be dignified or even fair. It wasn't their fault that she was heartbroken.

She climbed under her blanket, ready to fall asleep the instant her head hit the mat. Suddenly, she heard a sound outside, and stopped to listen. Her well-trained hearing distinguished the noise of footsteps. Curious as to who would be taking a walk this late at night, she sat up and opened her window.

Kohaku stood under the night sky. He had carefully chosen a spot in the mansion's shadow so as to be less visible. He scanned the surrounding area for something, watching the door especially.

Kanna walked out of the building, glanced around furtively, then went to Kohaku. He grabbed her hands.

"You came," he whispered. To most people it would have been imperceptible, but Rin hadn't lived with Lord Sesshomaru for seven years for nothing. He had taught her to pay attention to even the smallest noise, until her hearing was as close to his as humanly possible.

"Yes," Kanna replied. "Why must this be so secret?"

"We can't let Sango hear us," Kohaku replied. "She's unhappy enough that you're here at all."

"She did not object when Kagome said I could stay here," Kanna said.

Kohaku smiled slightly. "Not out loud. You must know her well enough to see that she was almost glaring at Kagome."

"I did," Kanna acknowledged. "What is it you have to tell me that Sango should not hear?"

Kohaku took a deep breath. "Because I have an idea of how to help you, and Sango won't like it."

Kanna looked up at him abruptly. "You can help me?"

Kohaku nodded. "I think I know where you can stay. You obviously can't go back to the village, or you might be killed. So what if…" he hesitated.

"Yes?" Kanna prompted him after a minute.

"Would you…" Kohaku paused, as though steeling himself, then let the words out in a rush. "Would you like to live with me?"

There was a brief silence. "What do you mean?" Kanna asked.

"I mean," he said, distinctly embarrassed, "Would you…um…gosh, this sounds stupid…"

Kanna waited.

"Would you…marry me?"

Rin's legs gave out, and she sat down heavily. She didn't care what Kanna's answer was. She had been hoping, almost unconsciously, that something had changed over the past three years, that somehow they wouldn't love each other, that she would have a chance…but there wasn't even the slightest chance now. Kohaku and Kanna really, truly loved each other, and not only could she not get between them, she was no longer sure she wanted to. Who was she to disturb true love?

"Rin."

She whipped around, startled out of her thoughts. Lord Sesshomaru stood in the doorway that separated his room from hers, his white hair shining in the moonlight.

"Oh," said Rin, praying that her voice wouldn't croak. "I'm sorry Lord Sesshomaru. I didn't mean to wake you."

The dog demon's eyes bored into hers. She looked away, afraid her eyes would fill with tears.

"Is everything all right?" he said, in that quiet voice he only used with her. It was so gentle that she almost lost control of her impending sobs, but she managed to say, fairly steadily, "Yes, everything's fine."

"You are upset."

How could he always tell? It was as if he smelled the sadness in her. Rin felt a sudden urge to tell him about everything, he sounded so understanding…but she wasn't sure how he would react. Sesshomaru had never liked Kohaku very much, and this might be the excuse he needed to finish the human boy off.

"No," she said, in a very small voice that betrayed her lack of confidence. "I just did something stupid…I'm fine…"

There was a pause. "I see," said Sesshomaru finally. Then he turned to leave.

_He must realize that I don't want to talk about it_, thought Rin, feeling relieved, as she watched him slide the door shut.

And yet…

"Wait!"

Sesshomaru turned around slowly. "Yes?"

"Lord Sesshomaru—" She had to get the words out quickly, or she would loose her nerve, but they had to be said. "Have you ever…felt a certain way about someone, but they didn't feel the same way about you? And you wish they could just return your feelings, or that at least you could just return theirs, so that everything could be normal...and…"

Her voice trailed off. Sesshomaru was looking at her thoughtfully. It surprised her—she'd expected him to brusquely deny it and leave. But he looked as if he were giving the question serious thought…or was he simply wondering whether or not to tell her the truth?

"I have," he said. Rin felt a strange, inexplicable shiver run through her, but it somehow wasn't unpleasant. She quickly forgot about it in her surprise that Sesshomaru had given her what seemed to be an honest answer.

"Really?" she asked eagerly. "What did you do about it?"

"I hid my feelings," Sesshomaru replied. The expression in his eyes gave her that shiver again, for some reason. "Only a fool would not."

"You—you don't think it would be better to tell them how you feel?"

He looked at her again, and this time it was his ordinary impassive gaze that met hers. "That would only break the hearts of both, and ruin any hope of friendship."

"I guess you're right," said Rin, a little wonderingly. "I didn't really give it much thought before. But it would just hurt us both…not to mention"—she stopped herself from saying "Kanna"—"a few other people who are involved." She smiled at him, her first heartfelt smile in days. "Thanks for the advice, Lord Sesshomaru!"

He gave the tiniest nod of his head. "You're welcome." Then he went back into his own room and closed the door.

Rin lay back down in bed, feeling a bubble of happiness rise within her. The advice hadn't been anything she couldn't have told herself, but coming from Lord Sesshomaru made it more valuable. It felt so good to talk to someone about her problems, even if she hadn't talked about it very directly. Shippo knew about it, of course, but he was just a child, basically, and hadn't really understood. Somehow Lord Sesshomaru had understood everything, even though she'd been mildly evasive.

_I wonder who he was in love with? _She wondered. She tried to remember if he'd dropped any hints, but she couldn't recall any. _And what kind of person would turn down Lord Sesshomaru, anyway? _She added. _Even apart from the fact that most people are too scared to do anything he doesn't want. He's so understanding…_

_And kind of handsome, too…_

Rin looked out the window at the sky, a little dreamily. She blinked and lowered her gaze—to see Kohaku and Kanna, wrapped in each other's arms.

All her sadness and heartbreak enveloped her. She fell back down onto her mat, yanked the blanket over her head, and finally let herself cry.


	6. Chapter 6: Recovery

**Disclaimer: Ditto**

**Chapter Six: Recovery**

Rin woke up the next morning with the sun in her eyes. She clamped her eyes shut again and lay back down, reaching for her blanket to pull over her head and block her vision. Her fingers reached something warm and fluffy. She sat up in surprise, and saw a long, cream-colored furry thing stretched across her bed. She picked it up.

"Sesshomaru's fluffy," she thought aloud, using her childhood nickname for the dog demon's accessory. "How did it get there?"

She glanced towards the door between their rooms. Had he sensed her tears and come in during the night?

The sound of raised voices came from the main section of the house, interrupting her thoughts. She frowned—it sounded like Sango. With a flash, she realized what must be going on. She jumped out of bed and yanked on her clothes as fast as she could. She pulled her hair up without really thinking about it, and ran out of her room towards the kitchen.

Just as she had expected, Kohaku stood in the kitchen, facing off with his sister. Kanna stood beside him, and Miroku stood a little bit behind Sango (just enough into the fray so that Sango couldn't take it out on him). Inuyasha and Kagome watched in interest, along with Shippo and a few of the children.

"You should have _asked _me, Kohaku!" Sango was shouting.

"I already knew what you would say," Kohaku retorted. "I know you don't want me and Kanna to be together, so what's the point of asking just to hear it again?"

"But—but—you're still rushing into this, Kohaku! You can't make this kind of decision without a lot of thinking—"

"I _have _been thinking!"

"—and a lot of advice!" Sango finished.

"I had that, too," said Kohaku firmly. "I talked it over with Kagome, and _she _thought it was fine."

Sango whirled on Kagome. "You never told me!"

Kagome looked a little bewildered at being drawn into the fray. "I'm sorry, Sango," she said apologetically. "But he and Kanna are really in love—and you are a little prejudiced on this matter."

"I'm just trying to help him!" Sango shouted. "Why does everyone seem to think I'm prejudiced?"

Inuyasha snorted. "You're being stubborn, Sango. It's Kohaku and Kanna's decision, and they've obviously already made it. You're wasting your breath."

"No one asked for your help, Inuyasha!" Sango snapped, rounding on him.

Rin decided to sneak out the side door before someone got her involved, too. She slid by Inuyasha and Kagome, but Daichi grabbed her hand before she got far. "Can I come, too?" he asked hopefully.

Rin looked around and noted that many of the children were getting restless and bored, neither understanding nor caring what their parents were arguing about. She nodded at Daichi and tapped Inuyasha on the shoulder.

"Wadda _you _want?" he demanded impatiently.

"I'm going to take the kids outside, if that's all right," she said.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Sure." He turned back to Sango. "You may not remember that _I'm _a half-demon myself…"

Rin sighed and led the children outdoors.

She watched them for half an hour, her mind only half on the task. She wondered how the argument was going inside. She half-hoped that Sango would forbid the marriage, but she knew that was unlikely—Kohaku and Kanna would most likely just elope. On the other hand, if Sango won, it would mean that she'd convinced Kohaku that demons couldn't be trusted, and Rin didn't support that train of thinking at all.

_Stop thinking in circles, _she told herself firmly. _What you want to happen won't affect the outcome at all._

The door of the house opened, and Kanna came out.

"Hello," she said softly, sitting beside Rin.

"Hey," said Rin, almost as blandly. "What happened in there?"

"We managed to convince Sango," Kanna replied. "After Miroku came around, it was not hard."

"Let me guess," said Rin wryly. "Miroku complemented Kohaku on finding such a beautiful girl to bear his child."

"You know him well," Kanna said, just the very barest hint of amusement.

They watched the children playing for a few moments in silence.

"We used to be friends," Kanna said at last. "Before I stopped visiting."

Rin shifted uncomfortably. "We did…"

"I have not seen much of you this week."

"I've been busy," said Rin, waving her hand vaguely at the children.

Kanna looked at her for a moment with those black eyes, a creepy sensation. "I see."

Rin detected a little wistfulness in Kanna's voice, and felt guiltier than ever. Being basically devoid of emotion hadn't won Kanna many friends. Now that she thought of it, Rin had probably been her _only _friend, besides maybe Shippo…

_But she has Kohaku,_ Rin thought savagely. _Does she need me?_

She was being selfish. Kanna and Kohaku would be happy together, and it wasn't Rin's place to ruin their joy. It also wasn't fair to punish Kanna for Rin's foolishness. And, strange though it seemed, Rin had missed Kanna—she was the only girl around Rin's age that she knew.

"I'm sorry," she said, quietly and a little awkwardly. "We can be friends again…if you want."

Kanna gave a rare, almost invisible smile. "All right."

Suddenly, the tension in the air evaporated. Kanna and Kohaku _were _perfect for each other, Rin realized. It would take a quiet, patient person like Kohaku to understand Kanna, and Kanna was probably the only person who understood Kohaku's feelings completely. It made Rin wonder how happy she would have been with Kohaku. She was so much more energetic and outgoing than Kohaku: would she have overwhelmed him?

But the heartbreak was too recent for that kind of thinking. Instead she smiled back at Kanna. "Congratulations on your approaching marriage," she said.

**OK, I know Kanna is a little bit OOC in this fic, but, in my defense, it's extremely difficult to even have her as a character if she's totally in character. (Although at this point her very existence is OOC...)**


	7. Chapter 7: Fire!

**Disclaimer: You can't get in trouble for disclaiming this shortcut way, can you? Ditto**

**Chapter Seven: Fire!**

"Rin," said Kumiko, tugging the teenager's kimono sleeve, "I wanna go in the forest."

"The forest?" said Rin curiously. "What do you plan on doing there?"

Kumi looked at Rin as if she were a dim lantern indeed. "To find nuts for Mama to put in the food, of course!"

"And I wanna cut down some trees, like Dad!" announced Daichi, slashing his knife with such force that he fell down.

Rin laughed and picked him up. "Okay, you guys, I'll ask your parents. Kanna, could you stay out here with them? Don't let them run away."

Kanna blinked her dark eyes slowly. "They won't run away," she said creepily.

Rin held back a giggle at the children's expressions as she went in the house.

"Kagome-chan?" she called.

Inuyasha poked his head out a nearby doorway. "Don't bother her," he advised. "She's in an _oswari _mood right now."

"I can't blame her for being overwhelmed," said Rin. "Do you know if it's okay for the kids to go into the forest?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "I don't see why it wouldn't be. It's not like anything will attack a quarter-demon without a bunch of second thoughts."

"Thanks, Inuyasha-kun!" said Rin cheerfully. "We'll be back by dinner." She started to go back outside, then paused, remembering something. "Have you seen Lord Sesshomaru?" she said curiously. "He's been fighting with you the past few days, but he's obviously not doing so now."

Inuyasha snorted. "Yesterday he started 'going on walks in the forest.' Probably he's been killing stuff and didn't want you to find out and make him quit."

"Probably," Rin echoed wryly, but she wondered. "Well, see you later…"She went back outside.

"Your dad says you can go into the woods," she announced. "But we have to be back by—"

"YES!" shouted Daichi, and sprinted off. His playmates were hard on his heels.

"Oh boy," muttered Rin, and she and Kanna set off after them.

"Hey, Kanna!"

Both girls turned around. Kohaku and Shippo were approaching at a run.

"Kohaku," said Kanna as they reached them.

"We looked all over for you guys," said Shippo happily, hopping onto Rin's shoulder.

"Hi, Kanna," said Kohaku, smiling. "Hi, Rin."

"Congratulations on the wedding," Rin replied with a smile of her own. To her surprise, her nerves didn't tingle at the sight of Kohaku. She felt relieved more than anything. _Finally, I'm over him…_

"Thanks," said Kohaku, blushing slightly. "I'm just glad Sango finally agreed with us."

"What are you guys doing out here?" asked Shippo.

"We are babysitting," Kanna said.

"The kids ran into the woods and we were trying to find them," Rin explained.

Kohaku looked at the cloudy sky, which was growing darker by the second. "You may have to bring them back," he remarked. "It looks like it's going to storm."

As he spoke, there was a not-too-distant flash of lightening. The thunder reached them less than a second later.

"Less than a mile away," said Shippo nervously. "I wonder—"

"Wait," said Rin, holding up her hand.

There was a very faint glow on the forested horizon. At first she took it for sunlight, but it was strangely orange. The clouds over the bright patch were even thicker than the rest of the sky. Suspicious, Rin sniffed the air. Her nose was flooded with the usual smells that Sesshomaru had taught her to identify, mingled with the distant scent of rain. But there was also a faint odor mixed with the others…one that brought back memories of the bandits that had murdered her parents, and of the village where she had once died…

"Smoke," she whispered.

Kohaku's eyes widened, then snapped to the edge of the forest. The glow was getting brighter all the time, and now Rin could hear, very faintly, the crackling sound of fire.

"Oh, no," said Kohaku softly. "Not a forest fire. Not now, after the drought. The forest is too dry."

"The fire will be here soon," said Kanna, looking even paler than usual.

"Will it burn the house?" Shippo squeaked.

"I'm sure we'll stop it long before then," Rin assured him shakily. "With everyone here to help—"

_But everyone's not here, _she remembered suddenly. Inuyasha's words echoed in her brain: _Yesterday he started "going on walks in the forest." Probably he's been killing stuff…_

Yet Sesshomaru hadn't been in a violent mood lately. Rin had been sure that he wasn't sneaking off to kill anybody. So he really was…

…_going on walks in the forest…_

…_walks in the forest…_

…_in the forest…_

"Lord Sesshomaru's in there!" she shouted.

"He can take care of himself," said Kohaku distractedly. "We have to warn Lord Inuyasha about the fire, now."

"I can't," said Rin firmly. "I have to make sure that Lord Sesshomaru is all right."

"You'll only put yourself in danger," said Kanna blandly.

"I don't care."

"You can't, Rin!" Shippo wailed. "You'll die!"

"I said _I don't care!_" Rin yelled. "I have to save him!"

"Rin, think," said Kanna, sounding unusually firm. "Sesshomaru can save himself. You will only annoy him by endangering yourself."

Rin groaned loudly in frustration. Why could no one understand? She didn't care if he could take care of himself, she didn't care if she'd annoy him…she absolutely had to make sure he would survive.

"I'm going in," she announced, "and you can't stop me."

She turned to face the forest, and gasped involuntarily. She was faced with a blazing wall, which blasted her face with heat and light. The fire had spread frighteningly fast, and was practically upon them.

"Get back to the house, everybody!" shouted Kohaku over the roar of the flames. "Rin, you have to!"

"I _won't!_" Rin screamed, and dashed towards the inferno. Kohaku and Kanna lunged forward and grabbed her arms.

"Let me _go,_" Rin snarled, struggling as they tried to pull her away. "I have to do this, I have to!"

"You can't!" cried Shippo.

Rin twisted around and glared in Kohaku's face. It crossed her mind that, a few days ago, she'd have sworn she couldn't be angry with him. But times had changed quickly, and now there were more important things than Kohaku.

"Kohaku," she said desperately, "if that were Kanna in there, would you be running away?"

Kohaku stared at her. "What?"

His grip had loosened. Rin tore away from him and Kanna and shot into the forest.

"Rin, no!" screamed Shippo. He, Kohaku and Kanna ran forward, but a blazing tree toppled over and barred their path.

"Should we go after her?" Kohaku panted.

Suddenly, a shriek of fear split the background roar.

"The children…" whispered Kanna.

Kohaku took a deep breath.

"We have to save them first," he decided. "Rin can take care of herself, reasonably well. Hopefully, by the time we get the kids to safety, she'll still be—"

He swallowed, and didn't finish the sentence. The three young people grimly set off to where the children were.

**Well, I hope the chapter title didn't give that one away...**


	8. Chapter 8: This Feeling

**Disclaimer: Ditto**

**Chapter Eight: This Feeling**

Sesshomaru stalked through the forest, brooding. Lately he had been feeling more thoughtful than usual, and had taken to going on walks by himself. Inuyasha assumed that this was an excuse to execute a few of his enemies, and Sesshomaru let him think so. His half-brother would definitely take this need for quiet thinking as a weakness.

Mainly on his mind had been Rin. The girl had changed from the child he had rescued from death so many years ago, until she was no longer a child. She was a young woman, but an unusual one. Sesshomaru had taught her all the skills he could, until her senses of hearing, smell and eyesight were as close to his as humanly possible. She was independent, and she loved nature. He admired both traits…

He stomped on that thought, but it popped back up like a spring. His feelings for Rin had definitely changed. He had come to consider her less of a daughter and more of a sister, and then less of a sister than of…

Than of…

He sighed.

_Have I truly come to think of this woman as a potential mate?_

He remembered her question of the night before. _"Have you ever…felt a certain way about someone, but they didn't feel the same way about you?"_

He hadn't lied to her, as he might have. But Rin had no idea that his unrequited love was for her. His fists clenched at the thought of her having feelings for another man. _How could he have turned her down? _he wondered. _What kind of man would refuse Rin's love? _He growled. If he ever found the bastard who had broken her heart…

He walked on, too deep in thought to realize the ever-nearing scent of smoke.

Rin tore through the burning woods. Her heart was pounding in her chest from exertion, fear for herself and fear for Sesshomaru. She was constantly dodging falling branches, and leaping through gaps in curtains of flame. After a while the movements became reflexes. She could concentrate less on her fight for survival, and more on where she was going.

She sniffed the air, desperately wishing that she had Sesshomaru's sense of smell. Her own human nose was too clogged with the scent of smoke to pick up anything else, and even if it hadn't been, it was too weak to distinguish each person's unique smell. She couldn't see anything through the smog, either. She started to grow desperate. How on earth would she find him?

_Why am I so desperate to find him, anyway? _she wondered suddenly. Up until now, she hadn't given much thought to the subject—the idea of standing there while Sesshomaru was in danger had just been unthinkable. It was as if something stronger than logic had taken over her brain.

Her own words popped back into her head. _Kohaku, if that were Kanna in there, would you be running away? _A slight chill went down her back. Did she really think about Sesshomaru the way Kohaku felt about Kanna?

Sesshomaru, who had saved her life so many times. Sesshomaru, who had taught her everything she knew. Sesshomaru, who had opened up to her when he opened up to no one, and who had listened when she told him her problems…

Her eyes filled with tears. _Who knows how long I've been in love with him…_

_And now that I've found out, I may never see him again._

She blinked the tears away briskly. The last thing she needed was for emotions to obscure her vision, right when she needed her vision most.

The stormy sky grew even stormier. Thunder rolled in the heavens. Lightning laced through the clouds, but didn't strike the ground again.

The wind abruptly changed directions.

Sesshomaru's nose picked up on this last almost instantly. He broke out of his reverie at the sudden flood of new scents. His eyes widened. Instead of smelling earth and clean air, he smelled smoke and charred wood. The forest was on fire, and now that the wind had changed, it would be on him shortly. But through it all there was another smell that was even more ominous.

He smelled Rin, and she was in danger.

This last idea couldn't be confirmed by any of his usual senses. He simply was sure of it in a way he couldn't explain. And if she was in danger, there was only one thing to do.

He stood and ran with demonic speed toward the burning section of the forest.

Rin stumbled blindly between the burning trees. She was loosing hope. There was no way she would be able to find Lord Sesshomaru in this huge forest. He would die, and she would die, and it would be all her fault…because she hadn't looked hard enough…

"Lord Sesshomaru!" she shouted desperately. She choked on the thickening smoke, but shouted again. "Lord Sesshomaru!"

She was beginning to feel light-headed. Red spots, barely distinguishable from the flickering flames, danced in front of her eyes. She narrowly dodged a burning branch. "Lord…Sesshomaru…" she called weakly.

Her legs wouldn't support her much longer. She rested her hand on a huge tree in front of her. _Inuyasha's tree, _she thought vaguely. _Where Inuyasha and Kagome met…_

Her knees suddenly gave out, and she collapsed on the ground. She managed to process the thought that she would die here. The fire would cover her unconscious body, and she would never wake up. She peered through half-open eyes at the approaching flames.

A dark shape was moving through them, towards her. She knew that silhouette. It had represented love, loyalty, and safety to her for seven years. Tall, with long hair, armor and a fluff slung across one shoulder…

"Lord…Sesshomaru…" she whispered. And she was happy. She would be with him when she left this life, and that was all that mattered.

She closed her eyes, and the world faded away.


	9. Chapter 9: Storm's End

**Chapter Nine: Storm's End**

The dark clouds hovering over the forest finally broke loose. Sheets of rain dropped from them onto the trees. The rising cloud of smoke was replaced by steam, and instead of a fiery roar, a loud hissing filled the eardrums of the onlookers. At Inuyasha's mansion, humans and part-demons alike put down their buckets of water and their swords in relief. Sango and Kagome relaxed and hugged their children, who had all been rescued from the flames.

And in a small, ash-filled clearing near Inuyasha's tree…

Sesshomaru sat in the roots of the tree, with Rin's head in his lap. Her kimono was blackened, and crumbling in some places, and her hair was singed. Her skin was covered with burns, scrapes and bruises. Her face was streaked with blood and soot. Sesshomaru wasn't much better off, himself, but he was healing quickly. Rin, on the other hand…

He felt her wrist, and a pulse thumped beneath his fingers—faint, but definitely present. Relief warmed him, thawing his anxiety a little. She would live. Even if she did die, he reminded himself, he could bring her back…

Unbidden, a memory from seven years ago appeared.

_Rin lay on the ground, dead. Sesshomaru drew Tenseiga, prepared to bring her back—but no messengers from the Underworld were visible for him to destroy. Panic slowly filled Sesshomaru, as he realized he would never again see Rin alive…_

But he had managed to bring her back. It had taken a good deal of effort, but she was alive now. The scenario only remained in his nightmares. But what if it happened again, now? What if this time he really _would _never see her again?

He had to believe he would. It was all that kept him from sinking into despair.

Sesshomaru tugged his fluff off his shoulder. He had gone into Rin's room that morning and found it, almost exactly where he had laid it the night before. Rin was the only person besides him who had ever touched the fluff, and it had always managed to comfort her. Now, for his comfort almost as much as hers, he wrapped it around her form and waited.

_Did I pass out? _Rin wondered. It seemed that only a few seconds had passed since she had closed her eyes—but this always happened when she fainted. Between the villagers beating her when she was small, the regular hazards of living with Sesshomaru, and dying twice (death, she reasoned, is mostly an extended faint), Rin had experience with being unconscious.

She stopped the rambling trail of thought, and opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was Sesshomaru's face. His features were as impassive as ever, but his eyes were worried. It had been years since he had looked at her like that, she reflected. In an instant, the expression was gone, and his face was its usual emotionless mask.

"Rin," he said. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she said, surprised at how croaky her voice was. "Really, I am…"

She struggled to sit up, then to stand, leaning heavily on the tree. She blinked away the red spots that had reappeared as she moved, and met Sesshomaru's gaze. Her heart sank; his eyes were fierce and determined.

"What made you go into the forest?" he demanded.

Rin gulped. Her explanation would not go down well at all, but she didn't have a choice. No one lied to Sesshomaru.

"I had to make sure you were all right," she said steadily. "I couldn't go back to the house and leave you out here, knowing you might die."

He looked at her. "You believe this Sesshomaru is not capable of taking care of himself?"

"No! I just wanted to make sure—"

"I would rather have your safety than your concern," he snapped. "_Never _do that again."

"I—"

"Promise me, Rin."

She met his angry gaze squarely. "I promise," she said. Both of them knew she didn't mean it.

Sesshomaru glared at her. "Perhaps I should leave you here with my half-wit half-breed of a brother," he said, his voice deadly calm. "I am sure he and Kagome would keep you out of trouble."

"No!" cried Rin.

"I must be able to trust you. I cannot keep you with me if you lie to me."

Rin looked at him helplessly, tears springing to her eyes. Swear that she would never again risk her life for Sesshomaru, or be forced to leave him. Watch him die, or never see him again. How was she supposed to choose?

"If you cannot keep your word," Sesshomaru said, "you must stay here."

"I can't just watch you die and not help," Rin burst out. "I just can't!"

Sesshomaru turned away. Let Rin believe it was a motion of rejection, instead of one of self-hatred. He had to do this for her…it was for her own good…and yet…

No. He had to.

"Then stay here," he answered her flatly.

"But I want to be with you!" she screamed at him. "I love you!"

She froze as she realized what she had said.

Sesshomaru had not moved. He stood still, halfway through turning his back on her. Rin couldn't see his facial expression, but she could imagine it.

_Oh, no,_ she thought. Her stomach dropped like a stone, the way it had when Shippo had mentioned that Kohaku loved Kanna, only worse. _I never, ever meant to admit that. I never wanted to have my heart broken again. Sesshomaru doesn't love me that way, and he never will. He'll really be mad at me now…_

_The one phrase that could blow my slim chance away, and I said it._

She couldn't face Sesshomaru now. She didn't want to see the look on his face, didn't want to hear him banish her, didn't want to know that the last time she'd ever see him he would be furious with her. Her tears overflowed, and she felt a sob rising in her throat. Sesshomaru hated people who cried…

Blindly, she turned around and ran.

For the second time in as many minutes, Sesshomaru was in shock. Rin loved him. She had said so. Did this mean she had loved him all along, or had she gotten over whoever had rejected her?

It scarcely mattered. Rin had confessed her love for him.

And he was trying to get rid of her.

Sesshomaru heard the sound of stumbling, retreating footsteps, and turned. Rin was sprinting towards the forest, one hand over her face. It sounded like she was crying.

Without even thinking, Sesshomaru jumped after her. He caught up with her just before she left the clearing. A little awkwardly, but as gently as he knew how, he laid a clawed hand on her shoulder.

"Rin," he said. "Is everything all right?"

Rin turned and looked up at him, her face streaked with tears. "Lord Sesshomaru, I'm so, so, sorry," she sobbed. "I honestly am. Please forgive me, please just forget it happened, I swear I'll never mention it again, just don't make me leave you!"

The sound of Rin groveling like Jaken disturbed Sesshomaru. He had to do something to make her calm down. He leaned towards her…

And kissed her.

Rin stood as still as if she had been petrified. Her own confession of love had been shocking enough. Sesshomaru kissing her was enough to turn her world on its ear…

But the feeling of shock was slowly fading from her mind. _Really, I can think about all this later…_

_For now…_

Rin's arms slid around Sesshomaru's neck. She pressed her lips more firmly against his, feeling warmth she had never known before fill her. Sesshomaru wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her even closer to him. Rin closed her eyes, blocking out everything except him. The forest, the scent of smoke, the voice shouting their names—everything faded from existence. Both of them focused on the kiss, sure it would last forever…

_Clunk._

Sesshomaru and Rin jerked apart. There, at the foot of Inuyasha's tree, stood the source of the aforementioned shouting. Jaken's jaw had dropped so far, he was in danger of stubbing it on a tree root. The Staff of Heads, which had fallen from Jaken's limp grasp onto his foot, had caused the_ clunk,_ but he barely seemed to notice the pain. Of all the shock that had been felt that day, Jaken's was clearly the greatest.

"M-m-m-milord," he managed to stammer. "Y-you—th-the wench—w-w-were you—"

"Jaken," said Sesshomaru, in an almost startlingly normal tone. "Why are you here?"

"I-I was looking for you, milord," Jaken explained. "You were so long in reaching the mansion, I was afraid you'd been killed! Not that a mere thunderstorm could hope to compete with your power, milord, I don't mean to sound disrespectful, I was merely worried for your safety—but don't take that to mean that I thought—"

"I do not appreciate being disturbed," said Sesshomaru icily.

"I'm sorry," squeaked Jaken. "Feel free to go back to doing—whatever you were doing—with that mortal wench. I mean girl. I mean woman. Oh, what DO I mean?!"

Rin threw a rock at him.

"ONLY LORD SESSHOMARU CAN THROW ROCKS AT ME!" screeched Jaken. Then he threw an anxious look at the dog demon. "But I meant no disrespect to the future Lady of the Northern Lands, who I suppose I am no longer allowed to insult?"

"Jaken," said Sesshomaru, "you are giving me a headache. Go away, or I shall have to kill you."

"I'm sorry," said Jaken humbly. "I'll leave you, milord. I mean, milord and milady. Or do I owe allegiance to both of you? Or is Rin really the future Lady of the Western Lands, or was I misinterpret—AIIIEEEEE!"

Sesshomaru eyed Jaken's unconscious form, now flat against Inuyasha's tree and looking like a gooey fungus. "Not a bad throw," he told Rin.

Rin smiled at him, a smile with more meaning than before. "Thanks," she said. "What do we do now?"

"Perhaps we should go back to the mansion," Sesshomaru said. "My half-wit half—"

"I know," Rin interrupted. "He's a half-wit half breed. Shouldn't you two be over your little feud by now?"

Sesshomaru looked at her in significant surprise. "You have not spoken to me in that tone before."

Rin smiled at him. "I didn't used to dare."

Sesshomaru let her take his hand. "And now?"

"Now I know you won't ever make me leave you." She looked up at him. "At least, I hope so," she added, a little more softly.

Sesshomaru looked into her eyes. "You are correct," he said simply.

They walked back to the mansion in companionable silence. Already, birds were returning to the scorched trees, inspecting their former homes. Patches of green were visible in places the fire hadn't reached. A wind was blowing through the woods, clearing the smoke and bringing in fresh air.

_It's coming back, _Rin reflected. _Straight out of death, new life is showing._

Somehow it reminded her of Kohaku. She had been so brokenhearted when she had known he wouldn't love her. But when she compared Kohaku to Sesshomaru…

Rin threw back her head and beamed at the sunlight. _Maybe we all need forest fires, _she thought. _We just have to learn to wait for the spring._

**The End! Please R&R!**


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